Tired of two days in the Municipal alberques, and knowing we would not be at the front of the pack on the 28 km walk, the day before we booked a hotel using hotel.com right on the Camino route in Logrono. Didn't get away as early as usual, and in fact were some of the last people out of the alberque. Not a problem though, as we had a place, and steady and sure was necessary to make it all the way. The cafe was backed up so we left without the morning caffeine fix again, but this time, only one route so one was just around the corner.
This ended up being the first day of real rain during the walk, so out come the ponchos, which oddly enough seemed to excite people. Guess if you bought it, you want to use it. The scenery on the way to Logrono did not change much from the previous day or so, but as Mary Lou said " it is beautiful and I never get tired of looking at it". This section is for the most part gently rolling, but there are a few shorter steep ups and downs until you get to Viana.
Part way through the walk to Viana we stumbled into the first area for leaving stones. Tradition on the Camino is you bring a stone with you that holds special significance, and you leave it behind, saying a prayer if you see fit. What it means to you, what you say is up to you. Mary Lou and I brought along a few stones of special significance, but this was not the place for them.
One of the things that stuck in my head throughout this walk, was the number of people from other countries that speak two, three or even more languages. The ability to do that opens up so many more opportunities to meet people, and makes it so much easier to operate as you travel. Because of my trip to Central America last year I can grunt out a few of the basic words in Spanish, but nothing worth sending home about, and my knowledge of French is even more limited ( OK Mr from Canada's only bilingual Province guy). Frankly, I find it somewhat embarrassing, and this " unilingulal me" stuff has to end. When I get back, Spanish lessons here I come.
We arrived in Viana about 20 km into the walk, feeling a little bit tired, and considered taking a bus or taxi the rest of the way to Logrono. After a bit of a rest, finally getting our croissant and coffee and stocking up on Euros at the ATM, we said what the heck and decided to plod on. The final 10 km went faster than thought, but the walk was essentially devoid of any scenery of significance. The look back to Viana was cool however.
The Hotel Sercotal Portales was in fact right on the Camino, and even better right in the heart of the entertainment district. Every shop, cafe and store was immaculate suggesting this was an affluent city. A quick trip to a bar for a drink and Tapas tied us over until later when the Spaniards wake up from siesta and open for the evening. We ended up at the Dirty Duck for salads and more drinks. Tough life I must say.
The best news of the day however, was that while we were sore and tired, we were not all that sore and tired giving hope that our bodies were finally adjusting to the nomadic life. We will see tomorrow.
Distance 28 km
Time 7 hrs
Weather Rain in the morning, overcast in the afternoon
Distance left. 836 km
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